Written by Robert Scucci | issued
Bill Hicks has always been considered a comedian’s comedian. Because he never shied away from speaking the truth as he saw it, and was so sharp that you thought he was yelling (which he was). In 1989, a newly sober Hicks, weary and ripe from working the streets, armed with a bag of smoke, was fully ready to deliver the powerful performance immortalized in 1989. sane man – The 80-minute special is biting and insightful, but not cutting-edge funny.
I don’t know where Hicks got his energy before going on stage for filming. sane manBut considering he’s always been brutally honest, he ordered a large coffee (not the fucking size of 32 ounces) at a truck stop before being chased by a police plane while driving 300 miles per hour. I have to believe him when he mentions that. To the rough stop in Austin, Texas.
deep pockets of humanity
sane man The piece opens with a monologue recorded on a B-reel that shows Hicks preparing for his legendary performance. As the Rough Stop parking lot fills with cars, Hicks’ voice says before he begins his set that he’s “appearing in front of a few hillbillies in a small Southern town” like a flying saucer. . As the monologue fades and the show begins, Hicks takes to the stage, dressed all in black, and takes a moment to chastise the audience for being intellectually dull, but there are actually laughs. (different from some pirated tapes I’ve seen) I heard from him flying saucer tour It didn’t work very well).
Clearly born to perform stand-up, Hicks is seen at his most active. sane manand his physical comedy is in top form. From jumping up and down on stage while abusing George Michael and Rick Astley, new Rock star drinking diet coke and shopping your At the mall, Hicks is in complete command of the audience, who gasp in disbelief as he imitates Jimi Hendrix, slicing Debbie Gibson in half with a burning guitar as she screams for her mother. .
Hick’s critique of American chicanery in the form of anti-intellectualism is a consistent thread that runs through most of his work. sane man Hicks sees himself spending a considerable amount of time extolling the benefits of psychotropic drugs for the sake of enlightenment. Hicks, known for his all-or-nothing personality, notes that he had to stop drinking and using drugs. Because when he was pulled over for a breathalyzer test, he thought the police car’s flashing lights meant he was going to the next club. Arrived at the party.
Hicks was also quick to point out that the mind-opening powers of hallucinogens should not be demonized, citing the story of a man who committed suicide by jumping because he thought he could fly. Because I should have jumped off the ground to try it first.
There is no cure for cancer
Despite Hicks’ popularity among his contemporaries, he never achieved the fame or recognition he deserved in the United States after making this film. sane manit was considered by his colleagues to be a major turning point in his career. Always a cynical patriot, with a distaste for the modern intrigues of a reorganized America, his work never caught on with an American domestic audience, and towards the end of 1999 He ended up performing abroad where his brand of humor was not only better understood but also fully accepted. his life and career.
Ironically, Denis Leary, another up-and-coming comedian and friend of Hicks at the time, There is no cure for cancer In the opinion of Hicks and his creative colleagues, this album completely steals his entire act and personality. Most notably, Hicks’ smoking bit, a fan favorite, has been copied almost word for word by Leary, who has always denied plagiarism allegations.
Comedians paying tribute to Hicks, who died of pancreatic cancer in 1994, had the last laugh about why Hicks never achieved mainstream popularity while Leary was. I’m not here to make you think too much, but sane man Released in 1989, There is no cure for cancer ” was released in 1993, so it’s not a timeline that works in Leary’s favor.
Streaming Sane Man
bill hix sane man It plays out like a stand-up comedy special, but it’s shot like a documentary. A black-and-white B-reel of Hicks performing his act is superimposed over his performance, while the legend himself tears up the stage and screams for the audience behind him to clearly hear. sane man A psychedelic edge not usually seen in stand-up comedy specials. To further enhance the effect, the sound design is chock-full of purposefully placed distortion and ambient room noise, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in the conversation.
As of this writing, you can stream sane man If you want to see him master his craft at the top of his game, you can watch it for free on Tubi in all its perverted, bombastic glory.
